Game #8; Dec. 9, 2016: George Mason Patriots (2-3) at CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (6-1)
George Mason’s primary defense is the 2-3 zone. We practiced against it but this will be our first test in a game situation against that defense.
We shot well but otherwise seemed out of synch early in the game. After holding a small lead for about 10 minutes, we got sloppy and the Patriots took a 4 point lead. Our good shooting continued allowing us to move back into the lead and in the last 5 minutes of the half we surged ahead to forge a 44-32 halftime lead. We dropped in 55% of our shots but allowed the Patriots to hit 50% of their FG attempts. Our leading scorer was Awvee Calton with 12 points, but Brett Holt added 10 also.
We played a strong 2nd half and steadily pulled away from the Patriots to win easily.
Final Score: CSU Bakersfield-80, George Mason-51. CSU Bakersfield season record: 7-1.
Scoring leaders: Holt-18, Calton-18, Yearwood-9.
Rebound leaders: Calton-6, Pastner-5.
Assist leaders: Yearwood-4, Holt-4, Benjamin-4.
Player of the Game: SG Brett Holt-18 pts, 4 reb, 4 assists, 3 steals.
Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PF Awvee Calton-18 pts, 6 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal.
Other notes: George Mason shot better than we did, 53% to 49%. But they turned the ball over 28 (yes 28) times. We had just 9 turnovers.